What happened: Xiaomi fans in Beijing are no doubt squealing over founder Lei Jun’s announcement that the Mix 3 model will officially launch in the Forbidden City. This morning, Lei posted an event flyer on Weibo with the brief caption, “#Xiaomi Mix 3# launch event, 10/25, see you at the Forbidden City!” (our translation). According to the poster, the event appears to be a partnership between Beijing’s Palace Museum and Xiaomi and will be streamed live on 70 platforms. The theme of the party is in keeping with the Mix 3’s advertising, which has heavily featured the slogan “Art x Technology.”
Why it’s important: With most if not all of the Mix 3 features already “leaked,” the launch event isn’t likely to hold surprises for Xiaomi faithful. However, it may help to build further hype for a device that’s been advertised as one of the world’s first 5G phones, with a maximum RAM of 10 GB. In addition, Xiaomi’s promo video shows a sliding, bezel-less screen that activates with a slight push of a finger. 108,000 units have already been pre-sold on JD.com, and the latest announcement may spur even more fascination with the upcoming model.